1958-10-25 — Page 8

T

LORD LAMBTON, MP, revisits Bagduð

THE CHINA MARIT.

OCTOBER 25, 1958.

I QUESTION IRAQ'S AN

UNHAPPY RULER

'We Act Like Churchill

THE

Bagdad.

THE last time I was in Bagdad I saw both Nuri Pasha and King Feisal. Now both are dead, multilated, reviled, and in their place rules Premier Brigadier Kassem.

1 interviewerl 11m in the fraq will accept nothing Ministry of Defence.

equality. He is chances.

certainly taking 110

The courtyard was full of tents and soldiers; the bullding briated with armed men; and on hin ADC's desk was a Sign- fun.

Good-looking

I was shown into his working room, where the Brigadier pends the greater part of hit time. It was simply furnished with a sofa bed in the centre and no pictures on the walls.

Kassem an extraordinarily good-looking mat. He was pak und hollow-eyed but perfectly calm,

He had the appearance of a slightly fanatleat but gentle poct.

but remarkable he will need to be

1- have little doubt that Kassem is at hear! n rensonable man, und for that reason is in an extraordinarily difficuit poslijen,

He has come into power on the flood of a revolution, promise ing plenty and a higher stah dard of living, yet the effects of the revolution have no adversely offreted the state of the country that it is doubtful if he will be able to provide either.

Reasonable

Ife

I put this point to him. plied: "The people will not mind; they are so pleased to have their own government,"

Yet he cannot be happy. The of his strength is too Without doubt, the last two bods

depend on weeks have been crillest to him, varied, for he has and only after a great struggle the Kurds with their love of did he overcome his chief op independence, the army with its ponent and former deputy, young ofleers, the Communists:

unreliable alites... of the most an admirer Colonel Art, Nasser's nationalistie desnogogy, and his own popularity. who now will take up the psi- tion of Ambassador to Western Germany.

In danger

I asked Kassem: It is sold that during the last few

moderate policy week yous was in danger of being over- thrown by extremiata led by Aref?

Atswer: That which you have beard is probably an exaggera- tion.

foreign

Question: But as Aref has lost his position as deputy premier does not that suggest dissent?

Anwer: I would not say that for he is going abroad to serve

the his country "In Bervice.

Quenion; But do you not agree that rulers frequently abroad people they want out of the way, For example, fler and Von Papen, and to a lesser extent Churchill and Sir Samuel Hogre?

send

Answer: The latter is how we like to do things, not like Hitler but like you.

Kaac's conversation WHE skilful. However I asked whele his policy might lead, he replied; "To good relations with a

countries."

I brought the subject round to Nasser.

foli

read

And he has to work with the West, for upon oil revenue depends his income.

Kassem was quite defnite that Iraq would ask for more gener- 128 concessions, bui what 1 thought was a dangerous trend wan his idea of some sort of on the grounds that Iraq has ownership, perhaps to be based not been granted any share of the Iraq Petroleum Company capital.

Curious

1 gut a distinct

impression that he was being pushed on this idea and that a decisive encouragement had been the re- cent share bonus issut by British Petroleum.

Thol A

Private

if he is to keep his reasonable- ness in the next few, ominous months.

When I got up to go he stood up, shook my hand and said: "Lord Lambton, I am sorry that усля disliked the revolution when it was new, I hope that you will be the friend of Iraq now all that we want is to be friends with everybody."

I was touched, but not being the least impressionable could not help reflecting that the latter was what every country wanted und wint every country never got.

-London Express Service).

SECRET SOCIETIES

MERICAN

BEST

A

ATLAN

“Well, Al flicked a little paste at Joe then Joe flicked a little paste ai Al.

Imitators Of

Of The

A FAMILY of European settlers sipped their "sundowners" and chatted idly

on the porch of their bungalow at Taoudeni, a small town in the Northern Province of French West Africa.

It was a September evening in 1941 and as usual there was a spectacular sunset. But it was the last the family ever saw.

Suddenly out of the nearby bush leapt a gang of war-painted Africans.

Within an hour they had dia- brought

many of them to

appeared back into the forest. Justice. But occasionally, as in But what they left behind this case, new crimes are com-

patrolling policemen, mitted. company coured

toho reached the scene a short time later, to think at fra that they were looking at the eras of a meat of marauding animals,

would have made such an Issue since the revolution would be surprising, but that it should have been made by a company, the majority of where directars are appointed by the British Government, passes all com- prehension,

Be a friend

Closer cxamination proved them

wrong, Only the heart and part of the lungs of each victim had been removed.

Since

they were first dło covered at the turn of this century more than a thousand Africans have been. sentenced for Leopard Men activities.

Leopard Men, provisers of

Records show that Leopard Ju-ju, the blackest of black Men have been responsible for magic had been about their the death of 1,150 vietina ghastly work.

across. belt of Africa from Kabala, Sierra Leone They believed that by eating west, to Singida,

of their in the cast. immune

And then, of course, there is Wasser, and the curiosity that, although Aref is said to be his man, he got little support from him--perhaps because he may at the heart and lunge the moment prefer Kassem weak victims they became

in the Tanganyika,

to Aref wild and independent. from detection and punishment. Little is known about the Years of Intensive police origin of this secret society. No But one thing is certain: The

white man has ever witnessed Question: Have

revolution has thrown up a action against this scerel

its secret initiation ceremonies. Natser's book?

Answer (after a pause and remarkable man in Kassem, and society

In 1912 a special court sat for with a faint smile); No.

five months at Lagos, Nigeria,

Question: But you will know that in it he envisages the Arab alates as having a definite ruler? Answer: The Arab states must be like brothers to each other.

Question; You would accept no overriding authority then?

Answer: We must be equal to each other on brotherly terms.

CROSSWORD

Across

1. Ancient city, (D)

1. Entertained......(3)

Annoyed (0)

Brock. 14)

19. Improved,

Best most, for watching · DOROTA

20- Rodimlastični "vastionat, (9)

KNA

W

Mythical illas. Ovucha Hable of one,' (AS,

not low. #13

of fanatical killers

la try 300 natives on "Leopari Men" charges,

The Good Men By

By The Rev. FRANK MARTIN THE late Pope would have enjoyed this London

bus conversation,

So now they've got to cleet a new Pape? Passenger No. 1: Passenger No. 2: Yes, and ten to one they'll give the job to another perishing Roman Catholic.

For the average Briton the Church of Rome is still an alien und somewhat sinister power.

That is why many Catholics agree that some of the publicity surrounding the death of the Pope Is a serious misfortune.

The television commentators, the obituary writers have mothered it with a raccharine cocoon of adulation so that you can -hordly see the real mân,

Yet here was someone who had the indefinable power of hindling affection ncross the ancestral barriers of religious pre- judice.

Over and over ågeln I have heard the same words: “He was

a good man."

Isn't that the ultimate test? I am thinking of two others of differont faiths who share this great secret, "One is Dr Albert Schweitzer, the Doctor with a Nobel Peace Prize.

The other in Mahatma Ghaħdi,

J

You cannot miss the wide impact of these three men of re- ligion, You cannot help feeling that there is something far more Important about them than their creeds.

My own explanation is a very simple one.

I believe that the deepëst need of every human being in to

be loved. And that means extentially to be treated as a human being.

Love in that sense can only be awakened by lovo. . To carn

it from others you must give them your affection." You must přova-

to them that they really equni us far as you are concerned.

For Plus XII'I meant other things. The endless públic nú¬. Alences, the warm approach to strangers in Which a blessing for a kneeling child was as important an a Word wlite-ai alghtseeing soldier or a high-ranking diplomat.

For, Schweitzer and Chandi, the proof was that they lived with the poor when their beliltant talents could have given thern. every luxury,

Ten't this a inorient for all of us to remind ourselves that Chere is a situation in which religious and social labels cassa to have any meaning? To fell ourselves that Whatever filt-IDAZO diviziona axists they can still be bridgść by căzbpollonit.

REX LAWRENCE

Hundreds

of winekses ap- proved that these savagos kill peared before the court. Their to listy a desire for human

vidence ran Into thousands of nests

pages.

The few known facts. But the secrets of the cult come from self-confessed were not revealed, and only a shippers of the Leopard. - few of those charge were found guilty and executed.

No one has ever been able to discover the object of the soclety. 1ts sedins

Bogo Gobo, a small town on

the

Leopard

HU SEALY

The followers of the Leopard Using the claw-like zlovca, border of Bechuanaland cult claim kinship to the animal tho Looperd Ba and South Africa.

whose habits they have adopted, their victims to desil to give The Paramount Chief of the They believe leopards will not the impression they haye Besti Imperri tribe presided

borm them. Leopards, they, attacked by wild animals,

It nyus

decided to call in clan, often visit their hats at

night, the "Tongo Met", a society dedicated to the destruction of

Disguised in leopards' sklis Leopard Men, which had and wearing black gloves whose originated in Sierra Leone.

"Angers" AKE claw-shaped knives, incrbers of the cult But the cure proved than the disease. For the Tong their victims.

wore hide in the thick bush to awalt Men practised-a brutal form of

have justice. wor..

They burned alive apone connected suspected of being

with Leopard Men.

The final out in thle inhuman ritual is the removal dna gating of parts of the victim's body,

Hundreds of member's of the Leopard Man society have been tried and hanged. Many have been imprisoned; others have been exiled;

To

demonstrate to other Africans that these men are not superbumian, village chlafs have been invited to witness their execution.

The Arst person the Tongo They always attack from the Men Bung on the fire was the back, flest alunning their victims Paramount Chief of the Imperri with a heavy stick. Then while

They have the treen asked to main concern. The societies are usually con- himself. Many of the natives they are preparing the rituni-

have to their people that the mur- to be

obtain trollet by witch. doctors who who saw this anticipated their killing, terrified villagers human fat to make "Borfima" was

them roar ke wild derous cult can be suppressęd them fut Intimidation, own fate and jumped into the heard

by ordinary human beings. » medicino belleved to give extortion, blackmail and flames. Eighty people are unimals. superhuman qualities to those murder,

in

this believed to have perihel who take it

why.

Police have said that captured In 1891, tribal, etiefs

killers of the cult have Canalbalion by Leopard Men Bechuanaland, concerned

Then the authorities stepped convinced they turned is even more of a mystery. It the practice of cannibalism in in and outlawed the Tongo leopards at that mornout in the beeny and still le, the Leopard bas never been satisfactorily #heir areas, called a meeting at Men.

savage rite.

FERDINAND

Z

But superstition Tide a étrönd been hold over the people of thing into parts of Africa and thie, hos

Men's strongest weapon.

By Mik

ar

SWISSAIR